By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD — When the Greenwood boys basketball team punched its ticket to the Class 3 state tournament on Friday, Miller coach Sean Price had about four days to figure out a way for the Cardinals to shut down five-star recruit Aminu Mohammed and the rest of the Blue Jays.
It was a tall order, but Price settled on a plan that involved forcing Mohammed to shoot from the outside by taking away his looks close to the basket, where the Georgetown commit is virtually unstoppable, and limited his chances to pass to Greenwood’s most dangerous 3-point shooters.
It took just over a minute for the Cardinals to discover a glaring hole in that plan.
Mohammed can shoot 3-pointers, too.
Mohammed opened the game with back-to-back treys and added a blocked shot, steal and layup all in the first 79 seconds as the Blue Jays scored the game’s first 10 points and cruised to an 81-47 victory in a Class 3 sectional on Tuesday at the Betty & Bobby Allison Event Center.
“He showed why he’s one of the top players in the nation and why a game plan for him really doesn’t do any good,” Price said of Mohammed, who finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds. “He can do it all. That set the tone. They got up 10-0 very quickly and it was all because of him.”
Mohammed’s early dominance was Greenwood’s initial lead, but it was a balanced attack that ultimately allowed the Blue Jays to build a 25-12 advantage after one period that only increased.
Four other players had at least nine points for the Blue Jays, whose victory sets up a highly anticipated rematch with Hartville in the state quarterfinals this Friday night.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Hartville (28-0) and Greenwood (20-5) currently hold the top two spots in the Class 3 state rankings, with the No. 2 Blue Jays looking to bounce back from a 17-point loss to the top-ranked Eagles at the Springfield R-12 Winter Classic in January. It will also be the third straight year the teams have met in the playoffs, with each ending the other’s season en route to a state title.
“I don’t know if anybody ever looks forward to playing a team like Hartville,” Greenwood coach Darren Taylor said. “We certainly knew they would be a challenge and hopefully it’ll be one we’ll be up to.”
Motivation won’t be a problem for the Blue Jays, who were overpowered by Hartville’s defense the last time the teams met. They scored a season-low 31 points; Mohammed just had eight.
“It was a bad loss,” Mohammed said. “We didn’t play our best that day. We’re looking forward to the game. We have to come out with enough intensity, energy and try to get a win at the end of the day.”
Mohammed supplied plenty of intensity and energy at the start on Tuesday, his first game since he was officially extended an invitation to participate in Team Nigeria’s Olympic training camp.
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown, who is coaching Mohammed’s native country during the upcoming Olympic games, called the senior Monday night to relay the news.
“Being able to play for your home country is very great,” said Mohammed, who wore a Nigeria shirt over his Greenwood uniform for pre-game warmups. “It’s a good opportunity to get out there and play against some professional players. That’s going to help enhance your game. I’m looking forward to that and I’m blessed to just be able to go to a training camp with them.”
The rest of the team fed off Mohammed’s energy, as the Blue Jays hit 12 3-pointers and finished with the most points that any team has scored against Miller in a single game this season.
“We’ve been shooting a lot better in the past five or six games,” Taylor said. “Our shooting percentage has been a lot better. Confidence would be a part of that. They start to make some and then they think they can make them.”
Nic Burri finished with 13 points for Greenwood, while Kaden Stuckey added 12 and Ryan Gibbons and Tommy Pinegar each had nine. Seven different Blue Jays scored at least one point and the Greenwood bench players outscored Miller’s 28-0.
“That’s huge for us,” Taylor said. “We usually play eight or nine kids and we feel like the first three off the bench — even the first five off the bench — can contribute.”
Miller senior Joel Kleeman led all scorers with 28 points in his final varsity basketball game. Junior Brenden Thom added 17 as the Cardinals concluded the year with a 20-7 record that included the school’s first district championship in a decade.
